ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired center Mike Ribeiro from the Dallas Stars in exchange for center Cody Eakin and a second-round draft pick (54th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Ribeiro, 32, ranked tied for second on Dallas with 63 points (18 goals, 45 assists) in 74 games during the 2011-12 season. His 45 assists ranked tied for first on the Stars while his 18 goals ranked fourth. Last season marked the eighth-consecutive season in which Ribeiro has tallied 50 or more points. The Montreal native has recorded 50 or more assists three times in his career and has collected 60 or more points five times in his 12-year career.

The 6’0”, 177-pound center spent the last six seasons with Dallas and appeared in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta. Ribeiro has collected 560 points (173 goals, 387 assists) in 737 career NHL games with Dallas and Montreal. In 42 career playoff games Ribeiro has recorded 25 points (five goals, 20 assists).

Ribeiro tallied a career-high 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists) during the 2007-08 season and added 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 18 playoff games that year. He won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Sweden and was the top scorer in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) during the 1998-99 season, collecting 167 points (67 goals, 100 assists) in 69 games with Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Ribeiro was originally drafted by Montreal in the second round (45th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Eakin appeared in 30 games for the Capitals during his rookie campaign, collecting four goals and four assists. In 43 regular-season games with Hershey of the American Hockey League, Eakin tallied 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists). He was drafted by Washington in the third round (85th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.